


A Pinch of Magic

by SZRaff



Series: A Pinch of Magic, A Sprinkle of Fate [ Clextober 2019 ] [1]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: 13 Days of Clexa, Clexa Halloween Week, Clextober, F/F, Magic, clextober19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-20
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-12-27 03:17:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21111782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SZRaff/pseuds/SZRaff
Summary: Clarke adopts a black and brown rescue cat who isn’t all that her fluffy fur and adorable green eyes appear to be.





	A Pinch of Magic

**Author's Note:**

> Day 13 of Clextober 2019. Posting a little late because of life being life.  
This is me getting back into the swing of writing after an unintentional break. Hope you enjoy!

Clarke browsed the shelves of cat carriers at the rescue centre and wished that she could take home every single occupant there. Her heart wrenched whenever a pair of large round eyes looked sadly up at her, little toe-beaned paws pressed against the meshed doors to their (hopefully) temporary accommodations. 

‘Who’s this one?’ Clarke asked the shelter volunteer, Maya. She was captured by a black and brown cat with striking green eyes that sat perfectly still in its carrier. Its eyes glimmered as it stared up at Clarke, and Clarke just knew that this was the cat for her. She felt a connection.

‘This one came in about a week ago. No name, just the collar she’s wearing, and no chip. She actually walked herself in.’ Maya read the notes from her iPad. ‘She’s pretty feisty; did not like the health check at all. We’ve nicknamed her Stitches, after the treatment the vet needed following her examination.’

‘I think she’s the one,’ Clarke cooed at the cat, who cocked her head to the side and twitched her tail. 

‘Are you sure?’ Maya frowned. ‘As a first time pet owner I would strongly recommend a cat with a much calmer and consistent demeanour.’

Clarke shook her head. ‘No, this one please.’

Maya slipped the iPad into its slot on the counter. ‘Okay, if you could take a seat over on the sofas in the familiarisation corner, I’ll bring her over to you. Remember, you can change your mind anytime up until the time that the paperwork is processed.’

‘Great!’ Clarke beamed, confident that there would be no mind-changing for her. She settled on the sofa and a moment later Maya came over with the chosen kitty in her arms.

‘She’s behaving today,’ Maya noted. ‘It’s like she knows it’s her lucky day.’

Clarke carefully took the cat from Maya. Stitches was lean with extremely soft fur. Clarke placed the cat on her lap and immediately the cat began to purr and rub its head against Clarke’s hand. Clarke couldn’t help but smile.

‘Well she definitely likes you,’ Maya laughed. ‘I’ll get the paperwork for you. One moment ma’am.’

Clarke continued to play with and stroke the cat, trying to think of a good name for the cutie. Stitches was an amusing name, but it didn’t seem to fit the cat’s temperament when a vet wasn’t around. Luna? No, too cliche. Cleo? Same. Nala? Stitches did have a similar regal mannerism, Clarke thought as she watched the cat consider her surroundings. Wrong colouring though. Shadow? Smudge? Mocha? Brownie? Clarke just couldn’t think of one that fit the cat. Maybe she’d give it some time and the perfect name would reveal itself to her.

‘Here you go,’ Maya returned and handed Clarke another iPad that had a series of forms loaded up. Almost an hour later, Clarke left the rescue centre with Stitches in a cat carrier, several bags of various cat care items that required additional assistance to get to the car, and a wad of leaflets for Clarke to read at home. She had been fully briefed on what to do to settle Stitches into her new home, and Clarke was confident that she could cat-proof the house in no time.

‘Here you go buddy,’ Clarke cooed. She had set up an area for her new tenant in the far corner of the living room. There was a soft cat bed, a scratch post, a litter tray, food and water dishes: everything a cat could want. Clarke opened the door to the carrier and stepped back to let the cat explore in peace, as the booklets suggested. ‘You take your time, have a look around. I’m just going to cook some food.’

Food, Clarke realised, was going to have to be pizza as there wasn’t all that much in her fridge. She pottered around for a few minutes while the oven heated, placed the pizza in the oven, and poured herself a large glass of wine. She jumped when Stitches suddenly appeared atop the kitchen counter with a loud meow.

‘Well you’re settling in quickly,’ Clarke scratched the cat’s back. The cat meowed louder, shook her head, and pawed at her collar like it was a bother. ‘Oh you poor baby, is that uncomfortable?’

The cat meowed and pawed again, more insistently. Clarke put her wine on the side and fiddled with the stiff material of the collar. The damn thing really didn’t want to come off. 

‘Okay honey, this is going to have to be a scissors job. I can’t get a hold of the clasp.’ Clarke briefly considered that the cat didn’t know what she was saying as she looked up at Clarke with large green eyes. ‘Stay there Stitch.’ She really did have to think of a new name.

Her phone rang as Clarke rooted about in a kitchen drawer for some scissors. ‘Hey O, what’s up?’ 

‘How’s the new furball? I’ve been waiting for adorable pictures!’ 

‘Steady on, O,’ Clarke chuckled, putting her on speaker. ‘I’ve been in the door like five minutes. The cat’s settling in okay though. Really friendly.’

‘Gah, I can’t wait to see it! Him? Her? What did you go for? Girl or boy? What’s its name?’ Octavia barely paused for breath between questions. ‘I keep trying to convince Linc that we should get a puppy. Maybe I should just go ahead and get one.’

‘No, O, you need to decide together.’ Clarke finally found the scissors. She soothed Stitches with a few strokes on her head and slipped the scissors under the collar, taking care not to accidentally catch her neck or fur. ‘God what is this thing made of?’ Clarke muttered. It took a bit of effort but eventually the fabric snapped with a loud crack.

‘What was that?’ O asked. ‘Did you just drop me?’

The cat began to shake violently; Clarke dropped the scissors and tried to calm her down.

‘Ssshh, shhh, it’s okay honey,’ she soothed. The shaking got worse. Clarke’s brain reeled with all the human conditions that had shakes and fits as a symptom. She had no idea if any of them applied to cats. ‘Shit, something’s wrong with the cat, I need to call a vet. Sorry, O.’

Clarke hung up and frantically tried to find the leaflet with the vet’s number on it. 

‘Shit!’

Stitches had stopped shaking now, but her sides were undulating and her fur stood on end. As Clarke watched, she seemed to be growing bigger. Clarke blinked a few times and gasped. The cat’s limbs lengthened and thickened. Her fur receded and skin stretched along the cat’s extending torso. Suddenly, Stitches was the size of a toddler, then a child, then just a disbelieving moment later, the size and shape of a fully grown human woman.

‘What the fuck!’ Clarke whispered, unable to believe her own eyes. A woman. A fully grown, naked, adult woman was on her kitchen island. Naked. Where her cat had been.

The woman took a few deep breaths and sat back on her knees. Clarke blinked and looked away, blushing. Even if the woman had just been the cat Clarke had adopted, it still felt rude to stare.

‘Well that was unpleasant,’ the woman croaked. Her voice was hoarse and her throat sounded incredibly rough.

Clarke looked up at the sound of her voice; curiosity winning out against politeness. ‘What the hell just happened?’

The woman turned to look at Clarke and  _ woah _ . Sharp jawline, full lips, piercing eyes, toned stomach, and- Clarke fixed her eyes just above the woman’s head to avoid looking directly at her chest. 

It’s not like Clarke hadn’t seen naked people before. As a doctor it was her job to examine people in various states of undress and to not be awkward about it, and usually seeing someone naked in her house was under very different and not at all uncomfortable circumstances. But wow, Clarke just wanted to touch the woman to check if she was really real.

‘Yeah, I imagine you weren’t expecting that to happen.’

‘What, for my cat to turn into a person?’ Clarke refocused her gaze on the woman’s face. Just her face. Her long, thick hair was the same chestnut colour as Stitches’ fur. ‘That’s what happened right? I’ve not just suddenly gone mental?’

‘No, you’ve not gone mental.’ The woman slipped off the counter gracefully. Catlike, almost. She stood facing Clarke with the island in between them, for which Clarke was grateful. It was distracting enough only seeing the top half of her torso and the spiralling tattoos on her toned biceps. She did not need those long muscular legs and the hint of well-worked abdominal muscles there in her eyeline to distract her. ‘Thank you for removing the collar by the way.’ The woman indicated the strip of fabric on the counter. ‘A witch I was hunting caught me and turned me into a cat, trapped in that form using the collar, and I’ve been waiting for the right time and person to release me for quite some time.’ 

Clarke’s mouth was agape. ‘That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.’

The woman raised an eyebrow. ‘Do you recall the part where I was a cat a minute ago? Can have that wine? I’m a little thirsty.’

_ Same.  _ ‘Uh, sure, whatever.’ Clarke passed her the glass. The woman downed the contents in just a few gulps and Clarke caught herself as her eyes began to drift southwards.

The woman gave a deep sigh and set down the now empty glass. She cocked her head and considered Clarke. Clarke realised that it was exactly the same expression that she had given as a cat.

‘You’re handling this remarkably well,’ the woman commented. ‘Most people would have screamed or passed out I imagine.’

‘Yeah, I’m still not convinced I’m not just having delusions of grandeur right now.’

The woman leaned forward on the counter and Clarke’s body teemed with all sorts of conflicting and confusing signals. ‘Hm, well I’m not entirely sure how I could convince you otherwise. I’ve seen people come to all sorts of conclusions to avoid the realisation that magic exists. Is that pizza nearly done? I am starving.’

‘Shit!’ Clarke had entirely forgotten about her food. She spun around and opened the oven. Thankfully the pizza wasn’t done yet, so she lowered the temperature and set a timer. ‘So, naked woman in my kitchen, do you have a proper name or shall I keep calling you Stitches?’

‘My name is Lexa,’ she answered. She looked less than amused at the reminder of being called Stitches. ‘And on the topic of me being  _ very  _ naked, do you have some clothes I can borrow? Contrary to popular culture, clothes are not included in the transfiguration process.’ As if to emphasise the point, Lexa spread her arms wide. Not that Clarke needed her attention to be directed to Lexa’s incredibly fit body when she was actively trying not to stare.

‘Yeah, I, uh, I can find you some clothes. I guess you wouldn’t mind a shower too?’ Clarke mentally questioned whether she should be so chill about the situation. She knew nothing about this Lexa woman except that she was a witch hunter, apparently. She could quite literally be a crazy serial killer, and yet there was Clarke, leading her into her bedroom and suggesting she use the ensuite shower.

'Thank you, by the way,' Lexa stopped Clarke in the doorway, towel in hand. Still totally naked and not at all shy about it, it seemed. 'For the hospitality. Most people would have probably turfed me out right away. I'm glad I picked you, Clarke.'

Clarke's breath caught momentarily at the sound of her own name on Lexa's lips. She felt unexpectedly flustered by it. 'It's not in my nature to refuse people in need, so you're welcome. And I'm pretty sure I picked you, not the other way around.'

'If you say so.' Lexa leisurely closed the bathroom door with a wink. An honest to God wink.

Clarke took a moment to compose herself then busied herself finding some spare clothes for Lexa. She placed them on the bed. Definitely not thinking about being in said bed with Lexa. 

A loud knock at the front door startled her from her thoughts. 

‘Clarke! Clarke? Are you in there?’

It was Octavia. Clarke swore and hoped that Lexa would want to enjoy a long shower, at least long enough for Clarke to send Octavia away without her seeing Lexa. If Octavia saw Lexa, Clarke would not hear the end of it.

‘Coming, O!’

She barged in as soon as Clarke opened the door. ‘Where’s the cat? Is it okay?’

Well, it wasn’t like Clarke could just say  _ oh yeah, turns out my new cat was an unbelievably hot woman transfigured by a witch, and is currently in my shower _ , so instead she tried to think of why her new cat that wasn’t allowed outside of the apartment was no longer present in said apartment.

‘Uh, she’s fine, it was nothing really - I just overreacted. The cat’s fine, totally fine.’  _ Really damn fine. _

‘Oh phew,’ Octavia threw her keys on the coffee table and herself down on the sofa. ‘I was worried it had died or something. I thought five minutes after getting in the door would be a record for you killing something.’

‘You know I’m a doctor right? I keep people alive for a living.’ Clarke reminded her best friend. She glanced anxiously at the bedroom door, hoping that O wouldn't notice the muffled sound of the shower running. ‘But I was just about to pop out, I forgot to get something at the pet store.’

‘Clarke, it looks like you’ve bought half the pet store,’ Octavia gestured around the living room at the feline paraphernalia and a few still unpacked bags from the pet store. 

Clarke shrugged. ‘Yeah there’s some food mix that I forgot to grab.’ She hoped O wouldn’t press her too much on details. Clarke was terrible at making stuff up on the spot. 

Octavia pouted. ‘But I wanted to see the kitty. Have you got a name yet?’

‘Uh no,’ Clarke glanced quickly at her bedroom door, wondering how else to get Octavia out of her apartment seeing as she wasn’t getting the message to leave. ‘But I’m open to ideas; you can let me know tomorrow? Sorry O, I really have to collect that stuff tonight.’

‘Ugh, fine Clarkey,’ Octavia heaved herself up from the sofa. ‘I rushed all the way here to help and you just kick me out without even a thank you.’

‘Sorry O, we can hang out tomorrow, I promise. And thank you for being so concerned.’

‘Can I at least see the kitty before I go?’

‘Uh,’ Clarke scrambled for ideas. ‘She’s exploring at the moment. The vet said she needs to be left alone to settle in.’

'Oh, okay.' O seemed disappointed. 'I'll see you to-'

Clarke’s stomach dropped as the bedroom door creaked open and Lexa, towelling her hair while dressed in Clarke's old jogging bottoms and college sweater, stepped out.

'That was amazing; I feel way better now,' Lexa waved a hand at O and headed for the kitchen. 'Hey.'

Octavia's jaw dropped and her eyes practically bulged out of her skull. She turned to Clarke with a disbelieving glare.

'Who is that?' She whispered, her voice tinged with accusation. 

'Uh, that's Lexa.' Clarke scrambled for an explanation that wouldn't get her sectioned. Luckily for Clarke though, Octavia had quite the imagination and thought she knew exactly what had happened. 

'Clarke Griffin, you lying minx. A new cat wasn't the only thing you picked up today, eh?' She winked approvingly. 'I’m not even mad that you almost succeeded in bullshitting me out of here. You go girl, it's about time. I'll leave you two to your  _ business _ , and you will explain yourself over a long brunch tomorrow.'

She swanned out of the apartment with a mischievous wave, and Clarke already dreaded the interrogation she would face the next day.

'She seems nice,' Lexa commented. Clarle closed the apartment door with a groan and turned around to find Lexa rummaging through her fridge.

'What are you doing?' Clarke rushed over.

Lexa straightened up and shrugged. 'Looking for something to eat before I go. I've not had proper food for weeks and kibble is disgusting.'

'Well in that case you're not going anywhere.' Clarke frowned. There were five minutes left on the pizza timer. ‘Once this is finished we can eat properly. You can crash on the sofa bed and I can take you to wherever you need to go in the morning.'

Lexa looked surprised at the offer. 'I can't intrude like that, Clarke. You've been more accommodating than I could have ever expected already. I need to get back home to let my partner know I'm okay, and then get back to tracking down Nia.'

Clarke shook her head, trying to ignore the sinking feeling at the thought of Lexa having a partner.  _ Of course she would have one _ , Clarke mentally scolded herself.  _ She’s way too hot to be single _ . 

'You've literally just transformed from a cat into a human, you haven't eaten properly in weeks, you're probably massively dehydrated, and you must be shattered from the whole ordeal.' Clarke felt like she was telling off a stubborn patient back at the hospital. 'You're staying here tonight so you can rest and recover. You can use my phone to call whoever you need, then tomorrow I can take you wherever you need to go or your partner can come and pick you up. But the bottom line is: you need to rest tonight.'

Clarke unlocked her phone and offered it to Lexa, who took it gingerly, she looked for a moment like she was going to argue her point further, but then her shoulders dropped as she accepted Clarke's offer.

'Thank you, Clarke,' she gave a small, genuine, smile that made Clarke's stomach flip.  _ Get it together, Clarke _ . 

Lexa tapped in a phone number and put the mobile to her ear. Clarke busied herself pouring a large glass of water for Lexa, and herself another glass of wine. She tried not to appear as though she was eavesdropping, except she totally was.

'Hey, Anya, it's Lexa,' Lexa greeted and was quickly cut off. 'Y-yeah, I'm fine, I'm okay.' A pause. 'I realise it’s been weeks. No, I couldn't have called earlier; Nia got to me and turned me into a cat. I've only just been able to turn back.'

Out of the corner of her eye, as Clarke pottered about with plates and cutlery, she saw Lexa throw back her head in exasperation. 

'Yeah, thanks, you can stop laughing now. Your concern for my wellbeing is appreciated.' Lexa's mouth twisted in annoyance. 'I swear Anya, I do not know why I still work with you.'

_ Oh,  _ Clarke thought.  _ That kind of partner _ . 

'I'm going to hang up now, so you have until tomorrow to get this laughter out of your system and come up with an excuse for why you didn't come and find me. Bye Anya.' Lexa hung up and put the phone down on the work surface. 'Thanks. My partner is a dick.'

Clarke couldn't help but be curious. 'So tell me, what exactly does witch hunting involve?' She handed Lexa the glass of water and gestured for her to go and sit on the sofa. 

'Pretty much what it says on the tin,' Lexa shrugged, taking a seat on the opposite end of the sofa to Clarke. 'We find rogue witches, track them down, and depending on the situation either take them in or put them down.'

Clarke raised her eyebrows at the rather violent term. 'Rogue witches? So there are other witches that you don't hunt?'

Lexa took a long glug of water. 'Loads, yeah. Some of them are really friendly and no problem at all. It's only when they start killing or hurting humans that we intervene.' 

'So what did this Nia do to get in your sights?'

Lexa looked contemplatively into the depths of her glass. 'She killed my girlfriend.'

Clarke gasped. 'I'm so sorry.' Clarke empathised with her; the death of a loved one wasn't easy to deal with.

‘I have come to terms with it,’ Lexa said quietly. ‘And Costia was not the first, nor the last of Nia’s victims. Which is why I need to get back out there and find her before she hurts someone else.’

Clarke pursed her lips and reached out to place her hand firmly on Lexa’s forearm. The touch made Clarke’s heart pound. ‘I understand why you don’t want to sit and wait when you could be doing something proactive. But if you don’t wait until you’re rested that next person will be you.’ 

Lexa’s jaw clenched and unclenched, her eyes fixed on Clarke’s hand on her arm. Clarke worried she had overstepped and quickly withdrew the offending touch. 

‘Sorry.’ 

Lexa shook her head and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the pizza timer ringing obnoxiously across the open plan area. 

‘You stay here,’ Clarke ordered. ‘I’ll bring us over some plates. Do you want any sauces?’

Clarke felt inexplicably nervous, as though she was on a date, despite being in her own home. There was something about Lexa that gave Clarke a jittery feeling in her stomach, and some other extremely perplexing feelings further down south. Clarke blamed the wine and not having dated in a while. 

Lexa wolfed down her half of the pizza, and Clarke insisted she have some more of Clarke’s half. They talked a little more, mostly about what Clarke was going to do with all her cat related items now that she didn’t have a cat (conclusion: she had no idea), and then Lexa’s eyelids began to droop and Clarke decided that it was time for bed. 

She made up the sofa bed with the spare duvet and pillows, bid Lexa goodnight, and eventually managed to clear her mind of Lexa related R-rated thoughts for long enough to get to sleep. Was it creepy to be having those thoughts about someone she had only just met and who was sleeping just next door on her sofa?  _ Probably _ .

When Clarke woke up the next morning, there was no sign of Lexa. The sofa bed was empty and Clarke’s favourite pair of Vans were gone.


End file.
